Re: [asa] What is a sociopath?

From a basic human development course I remember learning about
attachment parenting and how recent studies (recent to the last two
decades) have apparently shown that dis-attached infants are in
increased danger of developing sociopathic tendencies. It wasn't
decisive that there is NO brain chemistry involved, but it did seem
convincing that there is a substantial environmental component in the
first three years of a child's life. In extreme form dis-attached
infants grow up (even under the most loving of later adopted parents) to
be morally knowledgeable (for the purpose of manipulation) but without
effective empathy or conscience. And if they have suffered
dis-attachment as infants there is apparently very little hope for
remedying this short of controversial therapies. The cake has already
been baked without the ingredient. At least this is one of the things I
got out of a freshman-level human development course. Maybe a few real
experts can step in now...

--Merv

Preston Garrison wrote:
> All,
>
> Those of us who have expertise in biology and genetics and theology
> (not me) have been told that we are messing around in psychology and
> sociology and we don't know anything about these things. I'm curious
> what those who study these things think about what we were all told
> about in Intro to Psych and some people think they have encountered,
> the sociopath.
>
> Is there such a thing? If so, what is its basis? My impression, and
> what a relative told me about a cousin of his, was that he seemed to
> understand morality very well, well enough to use it against you, but
> he had no sense that it had any hold on him.
>
> In genetics, mutations that have well defined effects are very
> informative. I'm not suggesting that there is a genetic mutation for
> being a sociopath - I have no idea whether anyone has ever done kin
> studies or identical twin studies, but I wonder what the experts in
> this area think?
>
> It seems that if the phenomenon really exists, it might be very
> informative to study.
>
> Preston

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Received on Sat Mar 21 10:16:11 2009